Last season’s Mid-American Conference Tournament baseball title was the first in school history for Western Michigan University, and its first MAC baseball title of any kind since 1989.

Local high school standouts Grant Miller (Bay City Western), Alex Goodwin (Midland High) and Connor Smith (Dow High) were among those ushering in a new era for the Broncos with key contributions along the way.

The youngest of the trio, Smith, now a sophomore, put together a freshman season that could prove a tough act to follow.

Batting second and starting at shortstop for Broncos’ coach Billy Gernon this year, the 5-foot, 10-inch, 175-pound Smith led the team with a .336 average last year over 55 games, all of them starts. He also led the Broncos with 31 runs scored, homered once with 24 runs batted in, had a team-high 12 steals, and a team-low 13 strikeouts spanning 211 at-bats.

Smith became the first position player in WMU history to be named MAC Freshman of the Year, and just the fourth in school history to garner Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American honors. Finishing just one hit shy of the league lead in the MAC with a team-high 71, Smith was also named second team All-MAC.

Seemingly at his best in the Broncos’ biggest games, Smith was second in the MAC with a .446 batting average in conference play.

“To say he had a pretty good freshman year would be an understatement,” said Gernon of Smith. “He’s a very difficult hitter to get out.”

Gernon looks forward to an even better version of Smith, both this year and into the future.

“There’s always room for improvement, and I think he can get to another level both on defense and as a baserunner,” said Gernon of Smith. “He’ll be looking to improve both his drag and his push bunts with defenses having to respect his speed.

“He’s also got some sneaky pop for a guy who’s 5-10, with two triples in our home opener,” Gernon added of a 9-1 win over Grace College on Wednesday that was the first of the year for the Broncos (1-4), who traveled to East Tennessee State on Friday to play three games in three days in Johnson City, Tenn. “He’ll be a fun player to watch over the next few years.”

Smith, Miller, and Goodwin were right in the middle of all the action in the Broncos’ home-opening victory, with Smith leading the way with a 4-for-5 effort that included three runs scored, two RBIs, and a stolen base. Miller was 2-for-4 with two RBIs, while Goodwin was 2-for-2 with one RBI.

Western’s run to last year’s MAC Tournament title was remarkable considering its 0-9 start. A pair of NCAA Regional losses ended WMU’s season with a final record of 22-34 (11-13 MAC), but the Broncos were clearly a different team by year’s end than the one that struggled so mightily out of the gate.

A mixture of playing high-level nonconference opponents, and doing so while shorthanded due to a combination of injuries and illness, initially held Western back, said Gernon.

“Most people probably don’t know what we were dealing with to start the season, but we had a great second half and a great finish,” said Gernon. “We adopted a quote early that ‘Good starts are great, but great finishes are epic.’

“This year, we’ve talked about not just preparing to start a race, but also preparing to finish the race,” he added. “We had a great team last year, but we have a great team this year, too, with more depth than we’ve had in the last few years.”

A 5-11, 185-pound senior third baseman batting third for the Broncos, Miller’s .321 average in 56 starts from a year ago and his 30 runs scored were both second to Smith. And Miller paced Western in RBIs with 36.

“He’s a well-rounded college player who does everything better than average, and he’s turned himself into a spectacular defensive third baseman,” said Gernon of Miller, whose four errors all year highlighted a Western defense that ranked 11th in the country in fielding percentage (.978). “He also has some of the best plate discipline that I’ve ever coached.”

Playing for the Lexington County Blowfish over the summer in South Carolina, Miller’s versatility led to his playing at every defensive position.

Offensively, Miller finished sixth in the Coastal Plain League in hitting among those who had at least 75 at-bats.

“He has a great work ethic, respects the game, and plays very hard,” said Gernon of Miller. “He also gives us some depth as our third catcher, and that type of versatility can hopefully help us win again, and help him play beyond his college days.”

Miller and the 5-11, 185-pound Goodwin are two of the team’s six seniors who serve as its captains.

Goodwin bats ninth as the starting rightfielder for the Broncos, and is also the team’s backup catcher, with 35 starts among his 46 appearances last year. He finished the season batting .238 with 15 runs scored and nine RBIs.

One of the memorable moments of last season for Goodwin was getting a hit in an exhibition against the Detroit Tigers’ Top Prospects Team in Lakeland, Fla.

Goodwin asked Gernon if he could bat ninth this year to help strengthen the bottom of Western’s lineup, which revealed a lot to Goodwin’s coach about his character.

“He does strengthen the bottom of the lineup for us,” said Gernon of Goodwin. “He understands the value of doing whatever it takes to make the team work.”

Goodwin has been a team leader in every sense of the word.

“He’s the brawn of the team — very physically and mentally tough,” said Gernon of Goodwin. “He’s a great teammate who gives us versatility as a better-than-average defender in the outfield, and also gives us depth and options behind the plate.”

Gernon anticipates an improved Goodwin this year after he was somewhat limited by a hand injury last season.

“I think he’s feeling better this year physically, and he’s off to a great start for us,” said Gernon of Goodwin.

SVSU’s Rousse named GLIAC Softball

Player of the Week

Saginaw Valley State’s Meredith Rousse, a 5-6 junior infielder for the Cardinals and former Bay City Western standout, was named the GLIAC Softball Player of the Week for her performance at the Music City Invitational held last weekend in Tennessee.

Rousse went 10-for-13 (.769) over five SVSU games, in which the Cardinals finished 2-3. Her totals included a home run, a triple, two doubles, five RBIs, four runs scored, four walks, and two stolen bases.

Saginaw Valley is in Evansville, Ind. this weekend for the UIS Invitational, with six games scheduled from Friday through Sunday.